prehistoric_lifefandomcom-20200213-history
Top 10 Predatory Dinosaurs
By Cougarcat Note: This is a Top Ten List, the way the list is arranged is purely opinion. You may not agree with the way the list is organized, however if you made your own than other people would not necessarily agree with your opinion either. So opinion is honored on these lists. Do not duplicate lists, however you can go ahead and make your own about something else. Just remember, you aren't allowed to edit these because the creator may have different opinions than you. Predatory dinosaurs have captured the public's imagination to a huge degree, from the enormous Giganotosaurus to the tiny Velociraptor, there is little doubt that these are the most famous of all dinosaurs. However, there are ten that were bigger and more powerful than any others. These ten were also selected because of specialization, success, estimated strength relative to body mass, and other factors as well as their contribution. So we'll start with what we believed to be the 10th greatest predatory dinosaur of all time... 10th- Majungasaurus Majungasaurus is the Abelisaur from Madagascar that (arguably) presents the most graphic evidence of dinosaur cannibalism. This is the reason why it is now featured in many dinosaur documentaries. Majungasaurus also has some features that set it apart from the other abelisaurid genre. However, these were enough to (in our opinion) put it on the list, but not enough to propel it any farther than the tenth spot. ] ] ] ] ] 9th- Carcharodontosaurus This Predatory dinosaur was discovered on Ernst Stromer's legendary mission to Africa. It has remained in the Top Ten Largest Predatory Dinosaurs and had a very deadly bite. Its bite did not get its strength from actual power, but more from its slicing effect that drew huge amounts of blood from its victims. Since its discovery, it has become the type genus of the Carcharodontosaurs, an extremely successful group of predatory dinosaurs. The carcharodontosaurs probably met their end as a result of the boom in armored dinosaur population that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous. Carcharodontosaurus is also marked down slightly because it is highly overrated. ] ] ] 8th- Allosaurus Allosaurus makes this list because it was one of the most successful predatory dinosaurs of all time. Many other Jurassic apex predators seem to be modeled after Allosaurus, including the giant predator Saurophaganax. Saurophaganax was in fact so similar to Allosaurus that it was perhaps another species, or even, as some have suggested, a very large individual. Although many experts believe that this subject requires more study, Allosaurus deserves a place in this list. So why wasn't the apex predator of the Jurassic #1. Its bite power was very low, perhaps even lower than a leopard, whereas it was known for its light build, so much that the first species was named Allosaurus fragillis. ] ] ] 7th- Spinosaurus Spinosaurus was huge, however it probably was not the largest predatory dinosaur because of its slim profile. However, it makes this high on the list because of its sheer specialization, probably the most out of any predatory dinosaur. Its jaws were long and extended for catching fish, whereas it was most likely able to walk and swim. Its sail could have served as display and temperature regulation. Also, tiny sensors in its head may have helped it detect prey. In short, Spinosaurs were different than any other predatory dinosaurs. However, there are reasons why it does not make it to #1. The first is of course the fact that it was so overdone. It was depicted as a huge scaled up Allosaurus that was immensely powerful. Also, Jurassic park made it WAY larger and more powerful than the actual animal. Of course, this isn't all. The main reason is that its jaws were very, very week in comparison to other predatory dinosaurs its size. However, it makes it to 7th place because of its huge amounts of specialization. 6th- Yutyrannus Yutyrannus, a Tyrannosaur found in China, was shown conclusively to have feathers. It is to date the largest dinosaur confirmed to have had feathers. This showed that large dinosaurs can (in fact) have feathers, and has lead to speculation that Tyrannosaurus and its cousins also had feathers. While skin casts potentially suggest otherwise, the jury is still out. Although having feathers is Yutyrannus' only claim to being on this list, while the vast majority of the others have many reasons for being on here, probably none of the others can claim to alter our perception of dinosaurs nearly as much as Yutyrannus. It reignited speculation that ALL predatory dinosaurs had feathers. While this is not necessarily true, The profound impact of this predator has without a doubt changed our understanding of these animals. 5th- Carnotaurus When it comes down to abelisaurid apex predators, there are not many that are larger than Carnotaurus. The apex predator Ekrixinatosaurus was originally thought to be 11 meters long, similar in size to an average Tyrannosaurus, but it was downsized, and now only thought to be around 7 meters long. Other South American abelisaur genre have been seen to grow near, or surpass Carnotaurus in size, but these are still debatable. The bottom line is that Carnotaurus is easily the most famous of all, not just South American, abelisaurs. It even had a set of horns above its eyes, which paleontologists are still pondering the use of. It is possible that they rammed prey with these, or perhaps they were just for display. Carnotaurus also had forward-facing eyes allowing for some degree of stereoscopic vision.multiple specimens all together. 4th- Mapusaurus Although generally put in the list of the top ten largest predatory dinosaurs, it was quite a bit smaller than giants like Giganotosaurus. However, there are reasons why it makes to #4 on this list. Majorly, a huge amount of fossil evidence suggests that it hunted in packs. Fossil beds in Argentina have revealed that these predators lived together. One obvious thing this could mean is that other Carcharodontosaurs, or perhaps even unrelated predatory dinosaurs hunted in packs. If so, this could be the first of monumental finds. Some have suggested that Giganotosaurus was a scavenger, and the fact that Mapusaurus hunted in packs could be used as evidence against this claim. Of course, another reason is the fact that if a predator the size of Mapusaurus was out in gangs, it would be the most powerful predatory dinosaur of all time (supposing other predators did not hunt in packs). However, they needed this advantage. Huge herbivores like Argentinosaurus, Patagotitan, and Dreadnoughtus stomped across the land. Even predators the size of Mapusaurus needed any advantage they could get. And Giganotosaurus may have hunted in packs too, which would make it even more dangerous than Mapusaurus. 3rd- Acrocanthosaurus Early Cretaceous North America was left without any large predators, the top of the food chain was pretty much the aforementioned Deinonychus. However, Acrocanthosaurus was far larger than any of the others meaning that it had no rivals other than other members of its own species. Acrocanthosaurus has more claims to its place on this list. It was a Carcharodontosaur, a relative of the Allosaurs. Carcharodontosaurs would eventually become a worldwide group of dinosaurs. They would spread to Africa and South America. However, one of Acrocanthosaurus' features is extremely interesting. The mini sail on its back (which should be more accurately called a "hump") is the object of much dispute. Many people argue about the purpose of this protrusion. Some have suggested that it was a storage for fat during times where food was scarce. Acrocanthosaurus may have been the most powerful dinosaur ever to stalk North America (the only other candidates were Tyrannosaurus Rex and Saurophaganax). Tyrannosaurus was larger and had a much more powerful bite, however Acrocanthosaurus may have had the stronger build. It was designed to battle extremely huge Sauropods such as Sauroposeidon, meaning that it would have to be incredibly muscular and well protected. Even its neck vertebrae were specially designed. Its arms were also much stronger than those of Tyrannosaurus, as they could lift around a tonne. 2nd- Giganotosaurus With little doubt, Giganotosaurus was the largest and most powerful Carcharodontosaur. It lived in Patagonia, South America during the Later Cretaceous. Quite a few experts now regard it as being the largest predatory dinosaur ever. This stems from the fact that 70 percent of the animal was found, confirming that it was in fact larger than Tyrannosaurus. Others like Spinosaurus are reconstructed largely off speculation. It was also probably much more powerful than Spinosaurus. Its jaws were more stout and powerful, and its entire build was much less lean. However, its bite was still less than Tyrannosaurus Rex's most likely, because the later Cretaceous predatory dinosaurs had more muscular jaws. This is probably the result of the boom in smaller armored dinosaurs that appeared at the end of the Cretaceous. This also may have spelled the Carcharodontosaurs' doom. 1st- Tyrannosaurus Although not as specialized as Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus (Manospondylus) was extremely specialized, having very well positioned eyes. There are several reasons why Tyrannosaurus made it onto the list. It was incredibly strong, maybe being the most heavily built predatory dinosaur ever. It also had what scientists think was the most powerful bite of any land animal ever. Tyrannosaurus was also much more intelligent than most other predatory dinosaurs. In short, Tyrannosaurus Rex along with Ekrixinatosaurus were the pinnacles of large predatory dinosaur evolution. Although Jurassic Park III shows a Spinosaurus beating up a Tyrannosaurus Rex, in all likelihood the real winner would be the Tyrannosaurus. In short, Tyrannosaurus deserves to be on this list 100%, and very likely deserves to take the top spot. Although some no longer consider it to be in the top ten largest predatory dinosaurs, these dinosaurs were mostly a similar size to T. rex. Anyone in doubt of Tyrannosaurus' position on this list needs only to look at the factors previously mentioned. Category:Top Ten Lists Category:Predatory dinosaur Category:Mesozoic Category:Cretaceous Category:Jurassic Category:Dinosaur Category:Predator